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1. Gender Equality & Women's Empowerment in the Post-Soviet Space: Challenges and Perspectives

Author:
Vugar Bayramov, Nigar Islamli, and Emin Mammadov
Publication Date:
01-2023
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD)
Abstract:
The countries have a plan for women’s empowerment that sets it as a primary target in national development plan for achieving gender equality outcomes across the country. Under this review, the countries’ gender assessment, which mainly consider the female labor force participation in these countries, elaborates the extent to which women enjoy the same rights and opportunities, in which sectors they are highly employed and what obstacles they face that could be of exceptional importance in formulating policy objectives. The analysis also touches some points on women’s social and economic empowerment, which pertains to access opportunities and resources, and control their own lives.
Topic:
Development, Women, Employment, Inequality, Post-Soviet Space, and Gender
Political Geography:
Caucasus and Azerbaijan

2. Competitiveness in Azerbaijan: Assessing Sectorial Economic Policies

Author:
Ziya Alili, Rashad Hasanov, Farhad Bayramov, and Vugar Bayramov
Publication Date:
12-2014
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD)
Abstract:
CESD- Center for Economic and Social Development, Azerbaijan has developed new research paper titled as “Competitiveness in Azerbaijan: Assessing Sectorial Economic Policies”. This publication was developed and printed with the support of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. This research paper assesses economic diversification and cross-sector competitiveness in Azerbaijan by employing extensive qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The paper will measure the extent to which Azerbaijan’s economy is labor- and GDP-diversified or not. If it is not, we must ask what kind of policies can be developed for sectorial diversification and economic development. This paper will further analyze the government’s fiscal and monetary policies aimed at developing better, quantitatively based recommendations.
Topic:
Development, Economics, Diversification, and Fiscal Policy
Political Geography:
Azerbaijan and South Caucasus

3. Accession to the Customs Union: Shaping the strategy for Azerbaijan

Author:
Ziya Alili, Tural Abbasov, David N. Chang, Max Hoyt, and Vugar Bayramov
Publication Date:
12-2013
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD)
Abstract:
This paper analyses the implications of the potential accession of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. The qualitative approach employs stakeholder and sectorial analysis, while quantitative methodologies include Hedonic Estimation and Linear Regression Models. The stakeholder analysis discusses the implications of accession for different interested parties, namely businesses, citizens and international partners of Azerbaijan. The sectorial analysis assesses the varied probable impact of accession on different economic sectors. The quantitative methods are designed to answer the question following question: How much would the Azerbaijani economy benefit if it had joined the Customs Union when it was established in 2010? Although CESD finds a number of quantitative benefits to accession (for example, an additional two to five percent growth in GDP), qualitative analysis reveals disadvantages that were not captured by quantitative methodologies and helps provide a more comprehensive picture that disfavors accession, namely the long-term disadvantage of ceding independence vis-à-vis Azerbaijan’s energy policy. Accordingly, the Center for Economic and Social Development strongly recommends against accession. However, considering economic, social and political pressures, Azerbaijan may be persuaded to accede. In this scenario, CESD would recommend learning from the experience of the UK while acceding to the European Union and attaining several key exemptions from the rules and regulations of the Customs Union.
Topic:
Development, European Union, Regional Integration, and Customs
Political Geography:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, South Caucasus, and Belarus

4. CESD Anti-Corruption Strategy for the Republic of Azerbaijan

Author:
Vugar Bayramov
Publication Date:
08-2011
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD)
Abstract:
In the interest of fighting against corruption in an effective and enduring way, the implementation of comprehensive measures is extremely important. As such, the package of anti-corruption measures prepared by the Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD) has been developed to strengthen the fight against corruption and bribery and to achieve longlasting results. Corruption acts as an impediment to development in many ways and is a basic concern for many countries around the world. Many usually consider corruption to be the process of bribing officials or the extortion of bribes by officials, while others understand corruption to be theft, misappropriation of state money and wealth, or an individual's personal enrichment achieved by using his/her position. In all of these cases, the existence of corruption in the first place disturbs the construction of a legal state, is detrimental for economic and social development, contributes to the inefficient use of the society’s resources and harms people with low-income. Therefore, the fight against corruption is one of the most important goals set before those countries that have chosen democratic and civil development. In recent years, the government of Azerbaijan has adopted a number of anti-corruption measures, including new laws and programs. The government established the “State Program addressed to the fight against corruption” and “Fund of the struggle against Corruption” in February 2004. The 2007-2011 “National Strategy with respect to increasing transparency" has also been accepted. The main purpose of these steps taken is to increase transparency, to eliminate circumstances creating corruption, to implement preventative measures, and to continue those effective measures.
Topic:
Corruption, Development, and Economy
Political Geography:
Azerbaijan and South Caucasus

5. Sector Policy Convergences in technical rules/standards and customs in Azerbaijan to support EU Eastern Partnership Initiative

Author:
Vugar Bayramov and Tim McNaught
Publication Date:
12-2011
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD)
Abstract:
The overall goal of this paper is to understand how Azerbaijan can converge its Trade and Customs Policy with the European Union to meet the economic integration goals set in the EU Eastern Partnership Initiative in Azerbaijan. More specifically, the paper is interested in harmonizing standardization, Technical Barriers to Trade, and customs legislation with the European Union.
Topic:
European Union, Partnerships, Trade, Standardization, and Customs
Political Geography:
Europe, Azerbaijan, and South Caucasus

6. Managing Resource Revenues in Oil-Rich CAREC Countries: The Case of Azerbaijan

Author:
Vugar Bayramov, Tim McNaught, and Elchin Rashidov
Publication Date:
04-2011
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD)
Abstract:
The high inflow of oil revenues to Azerbaijan in recent years has led to large and unsustainable increases in government expenditures in the state budget and State Oil Fund of the Azerbaijan Republic. Given that oil revenues are exhaustible, volatile, and unpredictable, a sustainable fiscal policy must be enabled that allows for intergenerational equity, diversification in the economy, and predictable annual revenues that reduce pressures of appreciation. This paper aims to describe the recent and current management of oil revenues in Azerbaijan, provide a summary of international practices of natural resource management, and to make policy recommendations for future management of oil revenues. Recommendations include isolating oil money from the Azerbaijan economy, collecting it in the State Oil Fund, using permanent income hypothesis to employ a smooth distrubution function, and other investment considerations.
Topic:
Oil, Natural Resources, Budget, Investment, and Fiscal Policy
Political Geography:
Azerbaijan and South Caucasus

7. Azerbaijan’s Accession to World Trade Organization (WTO); Pros and Cons

Author:
Vugar Bayramov
Publication Date:
07-2010
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD)
Abstract:
Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD) together with Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) have published new policy paper titled as “Azerbaijan’s accession to the WTO: Assessing the macroeconomic consequences for the economy of Azerbaijan”. The paper analyzes the macroeconomic consequences for Azerbaijan’s economy in case the country joins the World Trade Organization (WTO ). Existing studies primarily draw on qualitative methods, while for this study a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model of the economy is calculated to simulate the consequences of WTO accession. The authors are able to generate numeric forecasts for macroeconomic variables as a measure for welfare and elaborate how WTO accession, interpreted as an external shock to the economy, would affect these variables. This study is, therefore, a unique contribution to the public and academic debate as it is the first study to quantitatively gauge the effects of accession beyond qualitative arguments. To contextualize the quantitative findings, several independent experts were interviewed to compile their opinions on WTO accession. The results of this study suggest positive welfare effects of WTO accession through increases in income, consumption and savings. However, the forecasts generated through our model reveal that exports would plummet as a consequence of accession. This must be of particular concern for the Azerbaijani economy with its oil and energy sector currently being the main driver of gross domestic product, foreign direct investment and exports. As a consequence, the Azerbaijani economy needs to diversify rapidly and decrease its dependence on oil to realize positive effects on general welfare that could be triggered through WTO accession. Whether these positive effects will materialize in the long run is hard to predict, although the qualitative evidence cited in this study suggests that accession would bring along important incentives for diversification.
Topic:
Economics, Oil, World Trade Organization, and Trade
Political Geography:
Azerbaijan and South Caucasus